Having a (meat) Ball!

There's nothing like a classic italian-style meatball...  Unfortunately many a restaurant just lump some ground beef together.  The proper meatball should be a mix of meaty and spiced flavors.

You can make a meatball with pretty much any ground meat you have..  I've seen chicken, turkey, and lamb.  But to get the perfect classic taste, I used 2 parts ground beef to 1 part pork sausage. (I used 1lb of ground beef for this recipe)  And that's just where the goodness begins!

Meatballs are fairly easy to make.  It isn't actually that much different from making a meatloaf.. just in a different shape with a few slightly different ingredients.

On that note, grab a half-cup of bran flakes (or your favorite grainy cereal) and grind them up in a food processor (or with your fists!) until they're nearly powdered.  And preheat your oven to 375*

Take your mix of ground beef and sausage and mix thoroughly in a large bowl.  Then, knead in an egg.  Spread evenly inside the bowl.  Cover with a thin coat of tomato sauce and grated Parmesan Cheese, and knead once more.

Then add in the brancrumbs and sprinkle on a layer of each of your favorite spices.  I used Oregano, Basil, Chili Powder, and Pepper.  The amateur chef may not have Fennel lying around, but if you do, throw some in also!  You can also dice in some pepper and onion if you would like.  I skipped the onion this time around, but threw in one finely diced Serrano pepper for some heat.  Mix together rigorously until everything is evenly distributed.

Now for a little Edible Rex secret...  how to keep the meatballs in shape.  Cooking them in a pan can cause them to fall apart...  So I used a...

Muffin Tray!

I actually thought of using the muffin tray as a way to make six even-sized meatballs.  But the tray kept the meatballs together and maintained their rotund shape.

So prepare to get messy and ball up a handful of meat.  You should get 6 baseball-sized clumps to fill the tray.  Pop it into the oven for 20 minutes.  Put a larger tray or sheet of tin foil under the tray to catch any oil that may drip

You can use this time to walk the dog, play a round of Wii Golf, or put up some spaghetti...  I did the latter.

            

After 20 minutes, make sure the meatballs are cooked fully through.  Take the tray out of the oven and let sit for a minute or two.  Scoop them out and place on a paper towel.  Wipe the gristle off the sides of the meat and you will see the round goodness.

Serve classically with pasta and tomato sauce.  Or place on a hero roll with sauce and mozzarella cheese for Meatball Parmesan!  These look so good, I wanna put one on top of a waffle cone!

Enjoy!